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Five Insights from Studying Teen Views on Tech Careers

The IT industry lacks qualified applicants, despite the promise of attractive wages and upward mobility. So when good jobs are available, why don’t more teens consider IT careers? The Creating IT Futures Foundation commissioned research to better understand how teens plan for their futures — including awareness of IT careers, outreach efforts that work best, and the role parents play in decision-making. During BDPA’s Annual Conference, Charles Eaton, CEO, Creating IT Futures, presented the research, along with lessons learned from projects in Chicago that are preparing young people for entry-level IT positions.

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Five Insights from Studying Teen Views on Tech Careers

2.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
About the National Study
326 students and 325 parents of teens were surveyed:
– Enrolled in a public school
– In the 11th or 12th grade
– Grades in school are mostly B’s or C’s
– No history of expulsion
– Lives in an urban area
– Household income less than $65,000
– African-American or Hispanic/Latino

8.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Teens Want Careers & Education, and Many Want to
Help Their Parents
30%
34%
44%
37%
35%
34%
45%
40%
30%
38%
34%
38%
37%
31%
27%
23%
30%
36%
39%
29%
34%
46%
39%
44%
41%
51%
61%
61%
66%
67%
71%
72%
74%
74%
76%
76%
78%
79%
88%
Getting married or starting a family
Traveling to new cities or countries
Making a contribution to society
Moving into a better neighborhood
Having a career that others respect
Having a lot of money
Helping other people
Gaining more independence from my family
Owning my own home
Helping my parent(s) with money or housing
Going to college
Getting more education and training after high school
Having a job I love
Very Important Extremely Important[n=336 Teens]

9.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Boys Want Homes, Girls Want College
Top Three Aspirations for the Next 5 to 10 Years
(% citing as very or extremely important)
African American
Boys
African American
Girls
Hispanic/Latino
Boys
Hispanic/Latina
Girls
1. Having a job I love
(88%)
2. Owning my own
home (81%)
3. Having a lot of
money (81%)
1. Having a job I love
(85%)
2. Getting more
education and
training after high
school
(83%)
3. Going to college
(80%)
1. Having a job I love
(83%)
2. Getting more
education and
training after high
school
(78%)
3. Owning my own
home (77%)
1. Having a job I love
(94%)
2. Helping my parent(s)
with money or
housing
(82%)
3. Going to college
(81%)

10.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Careers and Learning Are More Important than Power
and Prestige to Teens
26%
29%
36%
36%
32%
33%
33%
38%
41%
39%
44%
42%
42%
36%
46%
39%
22%
22%
19%
21%
26%
29%
29%
26%
25%
33%
28%
30%
31%
36%
32%
45%
48%
51%
54%
57%
58%
62%
62%
64%
66%
71%
72%
72%
73%
73%
78%
84%
Working in an office
Having authority or power over others
Being a manager
Solving puzzles or problems
Working for myself or having my own business
Being the CEO or the main person in charge
Getting to travel to new cities or countries
Working independently
Working with others as a team
Being creative or artistic
Leading and inspiring others at work
Helping other people
Working in a field where it is always easy to find a job
Making a lot of money
Learning new things all the time
Having a career, not just a job
Very Important Extremely Important[n=336 Teens]

12.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Who Do You Rely On Most to Talk about…
Teens Rely on Parents for Planning Their Future
…what you will do after high school?
A parent/guardian 77%
A teacher at school 32%
A friend 34%
Another family member 27%
School counselor/staff 25%
A coach 19%
Somebody else 1%
None of the above 2%
…what you might be good at and
enjoy doing?
A parent/guardian 67%
A teacher at school 34%
A friend 33%
Another family member 26%
School counselor/staff 21%
A coach 15%
Somebody else 1%
None of the above 3%
…different types of jobs and careers?
A parent/guardian 68%
A teacher at school 29%
A friend 27%
Another family member 19%
School counselor/staff 25%
A coach 10%
Somebody else 1%
None of the above 2%

13.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Fewer than Half of Teens Are Often Discussing their
Future with Parents
… discuss and help you with homework assignments?
… give you feedback about things you are good at and
might enjoy doing in the future?
… talk about different types of jobs and careers that might
be available to you?
… talk specifically about your plans for after high school?
… talk about specific colleges you might attend or training
programs you could enroll in after high school?
30%
47%
39%
45%
42%
29%
66%
58%
63%
56%
Teens
Parents
% Reporting “A Lot” of Discussions about Homework and the Future
How often do your parents . . .
[n=336]
[n=325]

14.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Half of Teens Say Parents Expect Them to Go to College
49%
62%
43%
34%
7% 4%
Teens Parents
They would not mind if I didn’t
go to college
They want me to go to college,
but if I got a decent job, it
would be OK not to
They say I have to go to college
or I will not be successful in life
I would not mind if my child
didn’t go to college
I want my child to go to college,
but if he/she got a decent job,
it would be OK not to
My child must go to college or
he/she will not be successful in
life
Parent Attitudes about
Going to College
[n=336] [n=325]

15.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Most Teens Plan to Go to College
Teens’ Plans after High School
(multiple selections allowed) [n=336
Teens]
College or Trade School,
including:
90%
Attend a 4-year college 57%
Attend a technical or trade
school
26%
Attend a 2-year college 17%
Get a job 29%
Go into the military 6%
Start a business 4%
Don’t know / Haven’t thought
about it
4%
What Parents Hope Teens Will Do
(multiple selections allowed) [n=325
Parents]
College or Trade School,
including:
94%
Attend a 4-year college 74%
Attend a technical or trade
school
25%
Attend a 2-year college 33%
Get a job 25%
Go into the military 13%
Start a business 7%
Don’t know / Haven’t thought
about it
1%
What Parents Say Teens Plan to Do
(multiple selections allowed) [n=325
Parents]
College or Trade School,
including:
84%
Attend a 4-year college 57%
Attend a technical or trade
school
18%
Attend a 2-year college 30%
Get a job 18%
Go into the military 11%
Start a business 3%
Don’t know / Haven’t thought
about it
8%

17.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Teens and Parents Have a Vague Understanding of the
Term “IT”
28%
20%
26%
22%
24%
29%
21%
30%
Teens Parents
I definitely know what IT is
I’m pretty sure I know what IT is, but
I’d want to check to be certain
I might know what IT is, but I’m not
really sure without looking it up
I definitely don’t know what IT is
Familiarity with the Term IT
[n=336] [n=325]

18.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Few Teens Know People in IT Jobs
23%
36%
51%
35%
Teens Parents
Have an IT
Role Model
Have a
personal
connection to
somebody in IT
Have a
personal
connection to
somebody in IT
Have an IT
Role Model
Including:
• 40% someone they know
• 8% celebrity or famous person
• 4% person or character from TV
or movies
Including:
• 29% someone they know
• 5% celebrity or famous person
• 3% person or character from TV
or movies
[n=336] [n=325]

19.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Most See IT as Requiring an Excellent Math and
Science Background
12%
18%
32%
8%
25%
29%
17%
33%
14% 12%
Teens Parents
Up to one year of
training and classes
after high school
Two years of
training and classes
after high school
A four-year
bachelor's degree
A master's degree
or higher
I have no idea
2% 1%
4%
12%
39%
48%
54%
39%
Teens Parents
Agree
strongly
Agree
somewhat
Disagree
somewhat
Disagree
strongly
Based on what you know, how much do you agree or
disagree with this statement:
People with information technology (IT) jobs need to do
really well in math and science classes at school.
How much training and education do you think people
with information technology (IT) jobs need?
[n=336] [n=325] [n=336] [n=325]

20.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Most Think “Good Pay” When They Think of IT Careers
45%
41%
37%
37%
36%
26%
25%
24%
22%
18%
15%
8%
Teens
Pays well
Requires good math and science skills
Getting to think of ways to use technology to help people
Getting to play with lots of cool technology
Fun, interesting work
Easy-to-get job because there is always a need for IT workers
Working alone sitting in front of a computer all day
Difficult, complicated work
Competitive, with too many IT workers looking for jobs
Hard-to-get job with work sent to other countries
Just for tech geeks
Boring
59%
45%
53%
44%
36%
25%
20%
16%
25%
10%
13%
5%
Parents[n=336] [n=325]

22.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Focusing on IT in Other Chosen Fields Generates
Interest as Well
22
19%
58%
23% It would make me a lot more
interested in IT
It would make me somewhat
more interested in IT
It would not change my
interest in IT
What if you could have a job in information technology (IT) within a career field
you selected earlier. How would this change your interest in IT, if at all?
[n=124 Teens]

23.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Pay and Love of Technology Drive Interest in IT Careers
47%
47%
43%
43%
43%
35%
30%
23%
1%
It would pay well
I like working with technology, computers, mobile phones, etc.
It would involve learning new things all the time as technology changes
It would be fun, interesting work
I like using technology to help people
There are a lot of career paths and opportunities to grow
I like solving logic problems
It would be easy to get a job because there is always a need for IT workers
Other reasons
Reasons for IT Interest
[n=300 Teens]

24.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
But Teens Say Parents and Teachers Often Discourage
IT as a Bad Fit
A teacher
A parent/guardian or grandparent
Another adult in my family
A coach
A school counselor or other school staff
Somebody else
26%
28%
13%
10%
5%
1%
32%
27%
12%
8%
4%
3%
51% of teens
say somebody has
told them they are
not good at math
or science
49% of teens
say somebody has
told them an IT or
STEM career is not
a good fit for their
personality
[n=336] [n=336]

25.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Nine out of Ten Feel They Could Succeed in an IT Career
35%
32%
52%
57%
12% 11%
Teens Parents
I would
be a
natural
With
hard
work,
I could
be good
at these
things
I would
probably
struggle
—
They’re
just not
my thing
My child
would
probably
struggle
—
It’s just
not their
thing
My
child
would
be a
natural
With
hard
work,
my
child
could
be good
at these
things
[n=336] [n=325]

27.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
School Resources Are Least Favored as Ways to Learn
about Careers
40%
38%
37%
36%
35%
34%
29%
28%
27%
Going to work for a day or a week with mentors who do these jobs
Online career exploration tools and apps
Doing an internship during after-school hours
Doing an internship over a school holiday or summer
Going on site visits or tours where people do these jobs
Regular classes at school
Guest speakers in classes at school
Extracurricular activities at school
Activities through community programs outside of school
How Teens Want to Learn about Jobs & Careers
[n=336 Teens]

28.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
But Those Who Have Say It Encouraged Their Interest
62%
say classes increased
their interest in IT
62%
say after school activities
increased their interest in IT
8% 6%
11% 15%
18% 18%
41%
46%
21%
16%
Classes Activities
I became much more interested in IT
I became somewhat more interested in IT
It did not change how I felt about IT
I became somewhat less interested in IT
I became much less interested in IT
[of n=131 teens] [of n=89 teens]

29.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Most Teens Express Interest in IT Skills Development
Programs
38% 40% 42%
48% 46% 50%
56% 50% 46%
39%
33%
31%
94%
90% 88% 87%
79% 82%
Interest in Learning about IT Programs If . . . Very Interested
Somewhat Interested
… you could
get paid for it
as a job while
in high school
… it would help
you get into
college
… you could
get high school
course credit
for it
… it were
related to
other areas of
career interest
to you
… it involved
helping to
solve a
problem in
your
community
… it involved
helping to
solve a
problem in
your school

30.
Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org
Seven Things You Can Do
1. Appeal to their interest in the softs skills that are so relevant
in tech careers
2. Educate their parents
3. Give them role models
4. Show them the breadth and depth of IT jobs and how many
industries those jobs touch
5. Debunk the myth about math and science ability
6. Get them jobs – work-based learning
7. Don’t let them give up when it gets hard
30

31.
Download the full white paper
and all survey responses at
CreatingITFutures.org